


Writing on the Wall

by PattRose



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: AU, Angst, Different Meeting, First Time, Humor, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-15
Updated: 2013-01-15
Packaged: 2017-11-25 14:47:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/639972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PattRose/pseuds/PattRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Blair thinks that something he had done and lived to regret might just be the luckiest thing that ever happened.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Writing on the Wall

[ ](http://s71.photobucket.com/albums/i121/PattRose1/?action=view&current=wall_cover-1.jpg)

Writing on the Wall  
By Patt

 

Jim stopped by Sullivan’s Pub to have a beer with the guys from Major Crime. He ended up having way too many beers and knew he was going to have to call a cab. Jim excused himself and walked into the bathroom and went into a stall. While sitting on the toilet because he was too drunk to stand, he looked at the wall with all the writing on it. One of the writings got his attention for some reason. He liked the penmanship on it and he liked this person’s name. He didn’t know if it was a guy or a girl, but he got his notebook out and began to write. ‘Call me and we could have a good time,’ is what he read. It was signed Blair Sandburg followed by his number. Jim put his notebook away as soon as he wrote it all down. He was going to check it out the next day if he was up to it. 

Simon walked into the restroom and bellowed, “Ellison, you fall in?”

Jim burst out laughing and answered, “No, I’m just taking a piss. Do you mind?”

“Hurry it up, because I called a cab for us. We’re going to share one,” Simon stated. 

“Good thinking, Simon. We’re both too drunk to drive.”

Jim came walking out of the stall and washed his hands. Simon was staring at him closely and asked, “Are you all right, Jim?”

“I’m fine, Simon. I told you that the last three times you asked me about it. It’s just my senses, they’re acting up and I’ve seen three doctors that all think I’m nuts.”

“Then see three more. I can’t believe that you just suddenly went nuts on us. I believe you, Jim.”

“Thank you, Simon. Let’s get out of here. I’m exhausted,” Jim said as he opened up the door to leave. 

~~~~~

When Jim walked in to his loft that night, he was tired, but still wound up. He was also very horny. He didn’t know why he drank that much, because booze always made him horny. He pulled out the notebook and decided he would call this Blair Sandburg and ask to talk to her. 

Jim grabbed the phone and plopped down on the sofa. He dialed the number and expected it to be disconnected, but instead he got a male’s voice answering the phone. 

“Hello?”

“I’d like to speak to Blair Sandburg,” Jim said drunkenly. 

“This is Blair Sandburg, what can I do for you?” 

“Did you by any chance write a note on the inside of the bathroom stall in the men’s bathroom at Sullivan’s Pub?” Jim asked. 

Jim heard a loud sigh. “No, I didn’t write the note and no I won’t show you a good time.”

“So you didn’t leave the message?” Jim asked stupidly. 

Blair sighed again and said, “No, I don’t leave my phone number in bathroom stalls. Is that all you needed to know?”

“You sound nice. You have a good strong voice. I like that in a person. You wouldn’t want to meet me somewhere would you?” Jim couldn’t believe he was asking this dude out. 

“What part of I didn’t leave the message do you not understand?” Blair asked and wondered why he wasn’t hanging up on this person. 

“I’m really sorry for bugging you. I just liked how you sounded and thought you might be lonely too,” Jim answered. 

Blair sighed for the third time that night and said, “I am lonely as a matter of fact, but I would rather meet you under different circumstances. I’m not thrilled that you’re taking numbers off of a bathroom stall.”

“What do you do for a living?” Jim asked, hoping to keep this man on the line as long as he could. 

“I teach. I think it was one of my students that left the note on the wall. Some of them don’t like me when I fail them in classes. What exactly did the note say?” Blair wondered. 

“I knew it, with a voice like yours; I knew you had to be a teacher. I could just tell. The note said, ‘call me and we could have a good time’,” Jim repeated from his notebook. 

“Well believe me it could have said much worse. What is your name anyhow?” Blair finally thought to ask. 

“Jim. I’m a cop, so I don’t go calling guys that often. I’ve had too much to drink tonight and that helped me get up the nerve. I’ll never bother you again,” Jim said. 

“I was hoping that you would call me sometime when you’re not drunk,” Blair suggested. 

“Okay, I could do that. I usually don’t date guys. They frown on it, at the station house. My Captain would probably kick my ass,” Jim admitted. 

“You have been with men before though, right?” Blair asked. 

“Yeah, but not since college and now I’m old,” Jim confessed. 

“How old are you, Jim?” Blair inquired. 

Jim thought for a moment and said, “You’ll laugh.”

“I promise I won’t laugh. How old are you?”

Jim took a deep breath and said, “I’m 38.”

“I’m 30, so we’re almost the same age. See, now was that so horrible?” Blair asked. 

“You sound older. You sound like you’ve been around for a long, long while. Why is that?” Jim really wanted to know. 

“It might be because you woke me out of a sound sleep and its 3:00 in the morning. I’m really tired. I have to teach classes tomorrow and I’m exhausted,” Blair explained. 

“I’m sorry. I’ll let you go,” Jim said as he went to hang up. 

“Wait…”

“Wait for what?” Jim asked. 

“Are you going to call me tomorrow and ask me out on a real date?” Blair questioned. 

“Probably not, once I sober up, I’m going to die of embarrassment. So you won’t be bothered again,” Jim said softly. 

“I don’t mind being bothered Jim. I like your voice too. Maybe we could meet and get to know one another,” Blair suggested. 

“I don’t think it would work, Blair. Like I said, I’m a cop. They frown on us being fags.”

“Goodnight, asshole,” Blair shouted and hung up the phone. 

Jim pulled the phone away from his ear, and wondered what had happened. What did he say to piss Blair off? Jim’s ears were ringing from Blair shouting into the phone. Jim backed up the conversation and realized he just called Blair a fag. 

Jim dialed the number once again and waited for Blair to answer. 

“Jim, this isn’t going to work. I don’t want your shit,” Blair barked. 

“I wanted to apologize. I didn’t mean you were a fag, I mean the cops look at me like I would be a fag. Which I actually would be if I was dating a guy, why did you get so upset?”

“This is your idea of an apology? Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t like being called a fag. I never have and never will. So please don’t call me again,” Blair said as he hung up the phone. 

Jim winced when he heard the phone being slammed down. His hearing was so touchy these days that anything set him off. 

I’m going to call him tomorrow, when I’m sober and apologize correctly. I like him. I loved his voice and I want to meet him. Maybe I’ll do some checking up on him at the station. 

Jim went and hung the phone in the cradle and got ready for bed. He was bone tired and couldn’t wait to crawl into his bed. He wished he had Blair to climb in with him. That would be a lot more fun. It had been along time since he had had sex. That was going to have to change. He couldn’t be calling strangers when he was drunk every night, could he? 

~~~~~

Jim woke the next morning with a game plan. He was going to find out all he could about Blair Sandburg and make a decision about what he was going to do. 

Jim showered, dressed and left for work, the entire time feeling like a million bucks. He found it hard to believe that he had consumed so much alcohol the night before. In fact, he hadn’t felt this good in weeks. His hearing was great, his eyesight was better then all right. All of his senses were in tip top shape. He wasn’t going to complain about any of them today. He felt terrific. If he didn’t know any better, he would think it had to do with Blair Sandburg. Ever since he talked to him, his senses were working better and he was able to control them easier. Jim would have to give it some serious thought as the day moved on.

When Jim got to his desk in Major Crime, he typed in Blair Sandburg to begin running a search on him. He saw that he was a teaching assistant at Rainier University and was working on his doctorate. It said he was single, living alone and only had one parent to be called in emergencies. Jim saw a picture of him from his first years at Rainier and almost laughed out loud, but he knew Rafe and Brown would be bugging him to see what was so funny. So he had to keep this to himself. He read some more info on the man and closed the screen. He found out all he needed to for right now.

Jim got busy doing paper work that Simon would be asking for soon and finished in no time. 

Rafe walked up and said, “Ellison, why don’t you have a hangover today? Everyone else does.”

“Maybe I can hold my liquor better then the rest of you guys. Did you ever think about that?” Jim asked. 

“Bullshit, what did you take today? I want whatever you drank,” Rafe said. 

“All I’ve had today is coffee. Have you tried a good ole cup of sludge this morning?” Jim inquired. 

Rafe’s face almost turned green. He walked quickly away from the snickering Jim Ellison. 

Jim handed in all of his paperwork and sat at his desk for lunch. He decided he would study up on Blair Sandburg and eat a candy bar at the same time. He just hoped no one bothered him. 

When Jim got to the University website and he read more about Blair Sandburg. Jim was shocked when one of the articles talked about the Watchers of a tribe and he described what Jim was going through. Jim knew at that moment that this man might have the answer to his problems. He was going to have to meet and talk with him. 

Jim dialed the number in his notebook and waited for the answering machine, but instead heard, “Hello?”

“Blair Sandburg? This is Jim from last night. I wanted to know if we could meet somewhere and talk about your thesis. Is tonight all right with you?” Jim asked.

“Jim, how do you know about my thesis? And what’s it to you anyhow?” Blair inquired.

“I’ll explain everything when I see you. It has to do with it. I wouldn’t be pulling your leg. My name is Jim Ellison, by the way. I’m from station 12, if you need to check me out. I’m from Major Crime.”

“Okay, you’ve got my attention. Where do you want to meet?” Blair asked.

“How about my loft? It’s not too far from the University. Do you need a ride?” Jim questioned. 

“I don’t think it would be right to meet where you live. How about IHOP?” Blair wondered aloud.

“Okay, IHOP it is. 7:00 all right with you?” Jim inquired. 

“Perfect, I’ll see you at 7:00,” Blair answered. 

“I’m looking forward to it,” Jim replied. 

Jim got off the phone and caught up on everything he needed to do. Then he told Simon he was leaving for the night at 5:00. That would give him two hours to figure out what he was going to say to Blair about all of this. If he was a normal human being, he would be upset about Jim doing a background check on him, but he had a feeling that this man would be willing to forgive almost anything once Jim told him why he wanted to talk to him. Jim never dreamt that he would find someone that knew what was going on. 

Jim drove home with many thoughts about what Blair Sandburg might look like. He was hoping for someone that would appeal to him, but this wasn’t a date after all, it was a meeting and Blair wasn’t there for Jim’s love life. 

~~~~~

At 7:00, Jim was in a booth at IHOP waiting on Blair Sandburg and getting irritated. Jim hated people that weren’t on time. He was a stickler for rules and that was one of them. Be On Time. 

A long haired young man walked in the front door and Jim wondered if that was him when he looked at Jim and smiled. 

Blair walked over to the booth and held out his hand. “I’m Blair Sandburg, it’s good to meet you, Jim Ellison.”

Jim shook his hand and said, “Good to meet you too, Blair. Sit down and make yourself at home. We’re going to be here for a while, I think.”

Blair was intrigued if nothing else. What did this Jim Ellison have up his sleeve? 

“I hoped you wouldn’t mind if I checked up on you before I called you. I read up on all of the papers you’ve written about the Watchers of the Tribe and wondered if you could tell me more about what you’ve learned,” Jim said. 

“Jim, why are you interested in my work? I can’t imagine that a cop would find it interesting, unless he had hyper senses or something like that,” Blair answered. 

Jim just sat there and didn’t say a word, instead he just smiled. 

Blair looked at Jim as Jim didn’t reply and he said, “Oh my God, how many senses are heightened?”

“Five,” Jim replied. 

“Fuck, I can’t believe this is happening. You’re not just pulling my leg are you?” Blair asked hopefully. 

“No, I’m not pulling your leg. I’ve been to see three doctors and they all said that they think it’s some type of hallucinations that I’m having. None of them could find anything out. Then I read about your studies and they described what I’m going through. I don’t know that I am one of these Watchers, but I might be. If I am, where do we go from here?” Jim wondered. 

“This is such a shock to me, Jim. I’m not running on all cylinders today. You’re catching me off guard, big time. I’m sorry. We would of course run tests and then make our assumptions after that. The most important thing is you don’t focus too much on one sense, because if you do, you’ll zone out and go off somewhere until you feel like coming back. Have you ever had this happen?” Blair inquired. 

“Yes, quite a few times. I thought it was epilepsy at first. I kept losing track of time, but the tests all came back negative, so I didn’t know what to think. When do you think you can start doing tests on me and you can tell me how to fix this,” Jim asked. 

“Fix it? What do you mean fix it? Man, you’re like a human crime solving machine. Why would you want to fix it?” Blair answered. 

“For one reason, just from sitting here in the restaurant, I know that the two girls over there are lesbians and they can’t wait to get home to show each other how much they love one another. That man sitting alone by the window keeps calling his wife and leaving nasty messages. He just found out she was having an affair. The waitress that took our order thinks we make a darling couple and wondered if all of the good ones were gay. That’s why I want to get rid of it. I don’t want to hear what everyone thinks. I shouldn’t have to know, should I?” Jim pleaded. 

“Jim, I’m going to teach you how to turn down the volumes on all of your senses. Sort of like dials on a radio. Then you’ll be able to tune people out that you don’t want to hear. But you’ll still be able to hear what you do want to hear. It’s going to work out just fine, you wait and see. Would you like to go back to your place and run some tests?” Blair questioned. 

“I thought you said it wouldn’t be good to go to my place?” Jim teased. 

“That’s before I figured out you were a full blown Sentinel. I’ll be able to defend my paper now and they’ll all have to take back all of the cruel things they said,” Blair replied. 

“Whoa…Hold on one second. You’re not writing any paper about me. Is that understood?” Jim asked. 

“You’re kidding? I’ve found a Sentinel, or rather a Sentinel has found me and you’re telling me I can’t defend my paper?” Blair asked incredulously. 

“That’s what I’m saying, Sandburg. This is just between you and me,” Jim answered. 

“What about me hanging out at the police station and doing a paper on the closed society of the police force today? I could use that as my topic and still hang out with you and help you get control of your senses. It takes two people to do it. A Sentinel always has a Guide and I think I might be yours,” Blair said. 

“We’ll have to tell my boss the truth about me. Then you can ask him if you can ride along with me and do a paper on the closed society of the police force. He’s not going to like having you around, I can tell you that already, but he might consider it when this is all said and done. We’ll have to prove to him that you know what you’re doing. Do you think you can do that?” Jim asked. 

Blair smiled and said, “I know I can do that. I’ll have him eating out of my hand, you just wait and see.”

“We’re talking about Simon Banks, you don’t want him eating out of your hand, he’ll take the entire thing,” Jim joked. 

“It won’t be that bad, I promise. I’m good with authority figures. Especially ones that will look at me and say, ‘Oh look, a punk,’ “ Blair kidded back. 

“What’s a little scary is you even had his voice right. Maybe you will be able to get a handle on this. I hope so. I know I can’t keep working like I have been,” Jim admitted. 

“It will be better in no time at all, Jim. Just you wait and see.”

They ate their dinner and talked some more about different Sentinel things and then left after they paid the bill. 

In the parking lot, Jim said, “Do you want to follow me over to my place?”

“Or you could follow me to mine?” Blair answered. 

“No, I’d rather do this where I’m more comfortable. My place is close and I won’t be so nervous,” Jim said. 

“Lead on, I’ll follow,” Blair said as he headed to his car. 

Jim got into his truck and felt good about life for the first time in weeks. He had a feeling that this Blair was going to be a huge help. He already felt better, his food has tasted almost normal at the restaurant and his other senses seemed to be calmed down while he was around Blair. Maybe Blair was right about him being his Guide. Jim wasn’t quite sure how he felt about being dependant on anyone other then a cop, but he would have to take a chance and believe in Blair Sandburg, this he knew to be true. 

~~~~~

When Jim parked in his parking lot, he got out of his car and smiled at Blair as he drove in and parked next to Jim. 

“Wow, this is a nice building. My place isn’t near as nice as this,” Blair confessed. 

“Come on up. It’s on the third floor, number 307,” Jim said as he started off towards the building. Blair followed closely behind and kept up with Jim’s giant steps. 

When Jim opened up the door to the loft, Blair smiled and said, “Cool, you just moved in?”

Jim glared at Blair and said, “No, I’ve been here for years. I like things uncluttered, clean and everything in it’s place,” Jim explained. 

“Of course you would. This is part of the Sentinel too. Everything has it’s place and there would be total order in your surroundings. I’m not all that surprised. It’s a great place for you, Jim. But I think you could put something on the walls and look like you live here,” Blair suggested. 

“I have things on the walls,” Jim argued. 

“Whatever. We’re going to do some tests on taste first. Then we’ll do hearing and last but not least, sight. Ready?” Blair inquired. 

“Yes, I’ve been ready all night,” Jim said wiggling his eyebrows.

“Jim, I’m serious here. I’m not talking about sex. I know you’re suffering from an overly touchy feely response, but we’ve got to keep this professional, all right?” Blair wanted to be sure that Jim understood. 

“All right, let’s get on with the tests,” Jim said. 

For the next four hours, they did all of the tests that Blair had talked about and Jim passed with flying colors. Blair was in heaven. He couldn’t believe he was lucky enough to come in contact with a true Sentinel. He had dreamed of this his entire life, now Jim was within his reach. He would have to be sure they kept it professional, because Blair was attracted to Jim. 

“Jim, you tested everything the way it was supposed to be. You’re perfect in every way,” Blair said, as he beamed with happiness. 

“If you want to keep things professional, you should probably tell your body to stop giving off the scent to me that says you want me,” Jim said. 

“Those would be pheromones and I’m sorry. I do find you attractive and I can’t help my scent. I’ll try and get control over it in the next few days. I’m sorry,” Blair explained. 

“I’m not complaining, I just think that since we’re Sentinel and Guide, maybe we should be together sexually too. Have you done any research on that?” Jim asked. 

Blair blushed and said, “Yes, I’ve done research on that. The Guide and the Sentinel almost always are together in all ways.”

“Then I don’t see a problem,” Jim said. 

“I can’t remain focused on our studies if I’m sexually attracted to you. It will take away from everything. I don’t want it to be about sex, I want it to be about Sentinel and Guide,” Blair explained. 

Jim walked over to Blair and pushed him against the front door with his body and said, “I can do both, don’t you think you’re able to do both?”

“Jim, I think we’re taking this too fast,” Blair assured him. 

Jim leaned down and kissed Blair with as much need and desire he could muster up. It must have been just the right amount because Blair pulled away panting and said, “Okay, maybe you’re right.”

“Now you’re talking,” Jim said as he pulled Blair up the stairs behind him. 

Blair was a nervous wreck. He didn’t do one night stands, and what if things went wrong, where would that leave the Sentinel and Guide? 

“Stop worrying, Sandburg, things are going to be just fine,” Jim promised. 

“God, I hope so, because we’re both going to be losing a lot if you’re not right,” Blair said nervously. 

“I believed the writing on the wall the first time I saw it. I think you could show me a very good time. Show me how to use these senses while making love,” Jim asked. 

Blair told him what to do and when to do it and found Jim most receptive. Everything Blair asked, Jim did. Blair was shocked at how much he seemed to know about a Sentinel’s sexual appetite, but it had all been studies alone. 

Jim was working Blair’s body like it had never been worked before. He could tell exactly where Blair’s hot spots were and took advantage of them. Blair was pleading for release within a half hour, but Jim made him suffer. In fact, Jim made Blair feel like he had never felt before. When Jim was done loosening up Blair, he slipped on a condom, slid into him and Blair thought his life had ended. He most certainly was in heaven. Nothing else could make him feel this wonderful. 

“God, you’re so tight. I love this. Come on, Blair, come for me,” Jim said as he started to fist Blair’s cock. Blair threw back his head and hollered Jim’s name as loud as he could. This tickled Jim to know end. Blair’s ass was doing wonderful things to Jim’s cock and Jim threw his head back and moaned Blair’s name as he came. 

Jim waited until he started slipping out of Blair and then got up and got a warm wash cloth to clean both of them up. Jim then pulled Blair into his arms and they both took a power nap. They both deserved it. 

~~~~~

Jim woke up alone in bed and wasn’t wild about that feeling. He could hear Blair downstairs in the shower and wondered why he didn’t wait for him. Jim realized that Blair might be a little shy yet, and it might take time to get used to being in Jim’s bed. But Jim sure hoped that Blair would be there from now on. 

Jim walked downstairs wearing only his boxers and waited on the coffee maker to make up some fresh brew. 

When Blair walked out, he smiled at Jim and said, “Did you have a good sleep?”

“As a matter of fact, I did. I haven’t had sex in a long, long while, so I was exhausted. It was great, I had a good time,” Jim said happily. 

Blair grabbed his jacket and said, “I have to be going.”

Jim grabbed his arm and said, “Is something wrong?”

“No, I had a date tonight and thought it would be nice if I showed up even if it’s late,” Blair explained. 

Jim didn’t know what to say. He figured that he and Blair would be an item, he didn’t think about not being exclusive.

“Thanks for tonight, I’ll talk to you tomorrow,” Blair said as he headed towards the front door. 

Jim grabbed his arm again and this time said, “Blair, call her and tell her you can’t make it. Stay here with me.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want? That’s a lot to take on in a relationship first thing. I didn’t expect you to be exclusive,” Blair said candidly. 

“Well, I did. So I’d like us to be exclusive,” Jim suggested. 

Blair smiled and said, “Okay. I’ll call Jaime and tell her I won’t be coming over anytime.” Blair picked up his cell and called Jaime and told her that he was involved with someone and realized it was more important then he had thought it was. 

When Blair was off of the phone, Jim said, “Why don’t you run over to your place and get some things to keep here? You can move in as soon as possible.”

“Jim, don’t you think we’re rushing things?” Blair asked. 

“Not really, I feel like you belong to me and I belong to you. I feel it when we’re just standing here. It’s right. So go get some things and get back here so we can go to sleep,” Jim ordered. 

“Okay, I’ll be back in about an hour,” Blair said smiling. 

“You better. I’m timing you,” Jim said as he leaned in for a goodbye kiss. 

Blair blushed and realized, he hadn’t ever felt this way about anyone. Sex was one thing, but Blair thought he might be in love. 

~~~~~

When Blair got there an hour later, Jim had cleaned out two of his drawers and half of the closet. Blair was impressed that Jim was able to do that in such a short time. 

“I hope we’re not making a big mistake,” Blair said as he started putting things away. 

“We’re not making a mistake. We’re great. I don’t know about you, but I have to get up early in the morning and explain all of this to my boss,” Jim stated. 

“All of this?” Blair asked. 

“I mean about the Sentinel senses. When will you be able to ride along with me during the day?” Jim asked. 

“All afternoons are basically open unless one of the kids asks for something special,” Blair explained. 

“Then that’s what we’ll ask for the ride along for. Afternoons and weekends, does that work for you?” Jim inquired. 

“Sure, that would be fine. I would still be able to teach my classes in the morning and grade papers at night, right?” Blair wondered. 

“Sure, but that’s not all we’ll be doing at night,” Jim said wiggling his eyebrows. 

Blair smiled and said, “Oh goody.”

The two men got ready for bed and climbed the stairs together, kissing the entire way up.

When they got in bed, Jim pulled Blair into his arms and held him close. His cock hardened quickly but Jim said, “Don’t mind me, it gets hard really easy these days. I’m tired if you don’t mind, we’ll get some sleep.”

Blair turned over and kissed Jim and said, “Works for me. Goodnight. See you in the morning.”

Blair was very tired and he knew he had to go talk to his advisors tomorrow and explain why he was changing his subject matter. He wasn’t looking forward to that at all, but knew it had to be done. Blair was having a little difficulty sleeping with Jim’s hard cock sticking him in the butt. He rolled over and whispered, “Do you want me to take care of that for you?”

“I wouldn’t mind if you did,” Jim said smiling. 

Blair moved down and began to give Jim a most excellent blowjob. When Jim came, he felt like his head was going to explode. Jim pulled Blair up for a kiss and almost fell asleep immediately. Blair smiled at his sleeping lover and felt very content. 

As he started to fall asleep he wondered if he should tell Jim that it was him that was drunk and lonely and wrote that on the wall at Sullivan’s Pub. Nah, Jim was better off not knowing. 

~~~~~

The next day, the two men left in separate vehicles, because each had to go tell their bosses what was going on. In Blair’s case he would be fabricating a little but he had to, to make it work. 

~~~~~

Jim walked into Simon’s office that morning on a mission. He intended to let him know exactly what he was and what it was going to take to keep him working as Simon would want him to. So Jim explained, going into great detail and Simon just nodded his head now and then. When Jim was finished Simon barked, “Are you insane?”

“That’s what the doctors would like you to think, but Blair Sandburg explained it all to me until it made perfect sense. Maybe I need him here to explain it to you. I believe every word he said to me. Why would he lie? And why would I be better all of a sudden?” 

“So you can hear what’s going on in the next room with the door shut?” Simon asked. 

Jim frowned because he knew he was going to have to perform like a trained seal now and he hated that part. Sighing, he said, “Yes, I can hear what people are saying in the break room if I concentrate hard enough.”

“Okay, who is in the break room right now and what are they saying?” Simon wondered. 

“It’s Rafe and Joel. Joel is telling him how there were no prune Danish this morning when he got here, so you must have eaten them,” Jim said with a smile on his face. 

“Joel is accusing me of taking the prune Danish?” Simon was shocked, because he knew that he had eaten the two that were on the cart. 

“Now Rafe is telling him that you not only get the first choice of pastries, but you also have the fancy coffee machine in your office and don’t share with anyone but Ellison now and then. Joel is telling him that the coffee in the break room isn’t as bad as all that and Rafe is laughing at him,” Jim said. 

“You’re not making this up are you?” Simon asked. 

“No sir. No such luck. Do you want to hear more?” Jim inquired. 

“No…I’ve heard quite enough, thank you. Tell this Sandburg fellow that he can ride along as soon as the commissioner gives it the thumbs up,” Simon explained. 

“When will you be talking to the Commissioner, Simon?”

“Today. I’m going to call as soon as you leave me alone,” Simon teased. 

“Thanks for believing in me, Simon. I’ll talk to you later,” Jim said as he walked out the door. 

Jim passed Rafe on his way to his own desk and said, “How is the coffee today?”

Rafe blushed and said, “It’s the same as usual, Ellison, what do you think?” 

“I better get me a cup before it’s all gone, eh?” Jim said heading to the break room. 

Rafe just shook his head and sat down at his own desk. 

When Jim got back to his desk, he waited about two hours and then he called Blair’s cell phone. 

“Sandburg?”

“Hey, how did it go?” Jim asked. 

“They weren’t happy with me, but they said it sounded interesting and were anxious to hear if I got the okay from the higher ups at the station. So did I?”

“Simon is checking on it right now and we should know this afternoon. Simon now believes me after making me perform like a seal,” Jim said disgustedly. 

“Just don’t tell anyone else, Jim. It’s important that no one knows about this,” Blair said. 

“I figured as much, Blair. I’ll call you later and tell you the news.”

“Okay, have a good day. I’m going to teach my class right now, so talk to you later,” Blair said as he walked smiling into his classroom full of students. 

Jim hung up the phone and smiled at it. Yup, it was official, Blair Sandburg was his Guide. He felt better when he heard Blair’s voice alone. He didn’t even need to have him in the room with him. Jim wondered if this was a good thing, or a pain in the ass. 

Jim went back to doing his paperwork and signed off on three different cases and got them ready to go down to records. 

He stood up to leave when Simon opened the door and said, “Ellison, my office.”

Jim walked in trying to figure out what Simon knew, but Simon was a blank slate. 

“Sit.”

Oh good, now he’s talking to me like a trained seal. 

Jim sat down and didn’t say a word. He waited for Simon to make the first move. 

“The Commissioner thinks it’s a good idea, so Sandburg is on part time observer status from now on. He just needs to fill out some paperwork in records and then he’s all ours. His hours are from 1:00 to 5:00, Monday through Friday and eight hours on Saturday. He has the same day off as you do, so get out of here and go tell him the news.”

“Is this a paid status?” Jim asked as he stood up to leave.

“Yes, I’ll discuss the amount with him when he comes in. He’ll also have insurance that he’ll have to fill the paperwork out for. He’s going to be very busy for the first few days, so don’t plan on taking him outside the station. Now get,” Simon ordered and Jim did just that. 

Jim sat down at his desk and called Blair’s cell phone. 

“I’m teaching a class here,” Blair said sounding irritated. 

“Sorry, call me when you’re done,” Jim said, somewhat embarrassed. 

“Shit, I didn’t know it was you. Sorry about that. Hang on. Class, I’ll be right back,” Blair said as he walked out to the hallway and took a deep breath. 

“Blair?” Jim asked. 

“Yeah, I’m sorry. I’ve had three phone calls today from a jerk that I used to date and he won’t leave me alone. So I thought you were him. I’m sorry I snapped at you,” Blair explained. 

“Who is it?” Jim asked simply. 

“Doesn’t matter. He’s over and done with,” Blair said. 

“Well if he called that many times today, he isn’t over and done with. I might have to talk some sense into him,” Jim said sounding angry. 

“You’re pissing me off, Jim. I’m a big boy. I can take care of my own life. Now tell me why you’re calling.”

“You start tomorrow. It’s a paid position, with insurance, does that make it better?” Jim asked. 

“That makes it much better. I’ll take it. What are the hours?” Blair asked. 

Jim told him what Simon had told him and Blair was thrilled. “Thank you, Jim. This means the world to me.”

“So, we’ll see each other tonight?” Jim asked. 

“Yeah, Jim, I live with you.”

“Okay, just checking. You sounded mad a little bit ago,” Jim said. 

“I was mad, but not about you and me. I’ll see you this afternoon. I’ll show up at 1:00, if that’s good with you.”

“That’s fine by me. See you in an hour,” Jim answered. 

“Bye…” Blair closed his cell and walked happily into the classroom again. 

~~~~~

Jim was finishing up another case file when Blair came walking into the bull pen. Jim stood up and smiled at him, letting Blair know he was more then welcome. 

“Hey, I didn’t know if you had time to come today,” Jim said quietly. 

“Let me meet this Captain of yours,” Blair said. 

Jim took him in to meet Simon and everyone in the bullpen watched like hawks. They all wondered what the hippy was doing with Jim and Simon and couldn’t wait until he left so they could ask Ellison. 

Simon gave a lecture to Blair about being on time and getting a hair cut and Blair just laughed. 

Joel walked up to Brown and said, “Who’s the hippy kid in Simon’s office?”

“Got me, Joel. I’ve never seen him before, but he was just laughing at Simon so he’ll be out of there soon enough,” Brown answered. 

“I don’t know, he looks like he’s holding his own pretty well. I think I might just like him. Do you suppose he’s undercover or something?” Joel wondered aloud. 

Rafe said, “Shut up about them, here they come.”

Jim walked out and said, “Joel Taggert, Henri Brown and Brian Rafe, this is our new Police Observer, Blair Sandburg. He’s from the University and he’s going to be working part time in our bullpen.”

Joel was the first to shake Blair’s hand and said, “A Police Observer? Why?”

“I’m writing on Closed Societies and can’t do it without being around you. It’s a fascinating subject, don’t you agree?” Blair asked no one in particular. 

Rafe said, “Well anyone who makes Simon Banks back down is okay in my book. Good to have you on board.”

“Thank you, Brian,” Blair replied. 

“Just call me Rafe, that’s what everyone calls me and this is H, and this is Joel.”

“Good to meet all of you. What are we doing first, Jim?” Blair asked. 

Jim smiled and said, “Paperwork. Follow me.”

Blair followed him out of the room and Joel said, “Seems like a nice fellow.”

H said, “Yeah, he seems like he calms Ellison down a little bit, didn’t you think?” 

“I think you’re both nuts. He looks like a fucking hippy wanna be. What do we need one of them hanging out with us for?” Rafe asked. 

“Just give him a chance,” Joel instructed. 

“Okay, but I’m not promising to like him,” Rafe answered. 

~~~~~

Jim watched as Blair filled out all of the paperwork and saw him sign everything and whispered, “It was you that wrote that note on the bathroom stall.”

“Shhhh. I don’t want anyone to know,” Blair whispered back. 

“We’re taking it down tonight,” Jim said seriously. 

“That would be fine. I’m tired of the crank calls anyhow. How often would I get lucky from one lonely note on the wall?” Blair teased. 

“You think you got lucky, huh?” Jim asked. 

“I know it. Now what do I have to do? I’m all finished.” Blair wondered. 

“Now we go upstairs and you can begin fitting in. They’re not going to like you or trust you, but they’ll get used to you as time goes on. So keep that in mind, all right?” Jim inquired. 

They went upstairs and Jim, Rafe and Brown got called out on a murder investigation. Blair was chomping at the bit to get into action. 

“Stay with me, Chief, and I mean it. No wandering off alone and if I say stay in the truck, you stay in the truck,” Jim said as they walked downstairs to get Jim’s truck. 

“Hey, I don’t have to do what you say. I’m a paid observer, I can observe from anywhere. Not just in your truck. So get over that right now,” Blair replied. 

Jim sighed and said, “Just do what I ask, please?”

“Depends. I’ll play it by ear,” Blair said as he got into Jim’s truck. 

Jim knew he was in trouble before they even started out. He didn’t scare Sandburg one bit, so he was going to have to use a different approach. 

They arrived at the scene and the tape was all over the place and Jim said, “Could you stay in the truck until I see what we’re dealing with?”

“Yes, I can do that, but don’t take too long,” Blair answered. 

Jim got out of the truck and hurried inside. He saw Dan Wolfe and asked him what was going on? 

“Looks like a murder, suicide so far. Can’t say much else right now. I’ll have to wait until I do the autopsy and I’ll let you know if anything is out of the ordinary. The man’s name is Chris Carter and his wife is Amanda Carter,” Dan said. 

“Thanks, Dan. I think I’ll just look around a bit and see if I can tell anything by just looking,” Jim explained. 

He looked at the young girl lying on the bed and felt bad for her. Her life was snuffed out just because this man decided to do it. Jim looked at the dead man and saw bruising on his neck and face. 

“Hey Dan, did you see the bruising on his neck and face?” Jim asked. 

Dan walked over and looked him over and said, “I’ll be damned. I hadn’t looked at him yet. I was concentrating on her. It looks to me like we might have a murder on our hands. It’s just a conjecture of course, but that’s your job to find out,” Dan guessed. 

Jim called Blair on his cell and said, “Its two dead bodies, do you think you can handle it?”

“Yeah, I think so. If not, I’ll leave. I won’t embarrass you,” Blair said and then walked up to the house and showed his credentials. 

When he walked in he was shocked. He had never seen a dead person before and this was not pretty at all. 

Jim was looking at the man like he might have seen something important and Blair got down beside him and said, “What are you looking for, man?”

“Indications that this man was murdered and not just suicide like it appears. See the bruising on his neck and face? That means someone hurt him before he died. Now we have to figure out who could have done it and why,” Jim explained. 

Dan came over and Jim introduced him to Blair. They chatted for a few moments until Dan had to get back to work. Dan was using the thermometer and Jim waited to hear the results. 

“Its official, Jim, he was killed first. Now go and find out why and how,” Dan instructed. 

Blair said, “It makes no sense. They must have known that Dan would use a thermometer on him, wouldn’t they?”

“They were hoping that it appeared just as it looks. A murder and then suicide. We’ll have to get busy on this right away before the trail gets cold,” Jim said. 

“Do you smell anything out of the ordinary?” Blair asked Jim quietly. 

Jim sniffed the air, blocking out everyone that was around him and used the technique that Blair had taught him the night before. He focused on smell, but at the same time used his sight to see if there was anything other then run of the mill things he could smell and see. He picked up on cleaning products, but yet the house didn’t look like it had just been cleaned. Someone took a shower before they left. Jim walked into the bathroom and sure enough, there was water and residue all over the shower stall. 

Jim called the tech’s and said, “Could you lift all prints here in the bathroom and shower stall? Then I need you to check for blood in the drain.” 

“Ellison, you think it’s someone else?” Miller asked. 

“I don’t know what I think so far. It’s too soon to tell, but I would appreciate you getting all latent’s while they are still fresh. Thank you, guys,” Jim said as he walked out of the room. 

Blair said, “See, I told you. You’re like a walking crime lab.”

“We’ll see. I might be totally off the mark. We need to find out everything we can about this couple,” Jim said. 

Jim started looking through the office in the home to see if there was anything there that seemed out of place. The only thing he noticed was the computer was on and still signed into the woman’s account. That was sort of odd, so Jim called the lab guys back into the office and said, “Could we have all the latents off of the computer monitor, keyboard and anywhere else on the desk?” 

“Will do, Ellison. It’s sort of weird that she was signed in to her account at the same time that her husband decided to kill her. We’ll take the hard drive down and process where they had been and what they were doing in the last two days. We’ll talk to you at the office when we know something,” Miller said. 

Dan walked up to Jim and said, “We’re taking the bodies now. If you want to, you can come to the morgue and watch the autopsy.”

“No, I’ll read your report tomorrow morning. It can wait until then. In the mean time, we need to find next of kin and all of that,” Jim said. 

“Rafe and Brown have found the relatives and are notifying them at this moment. They’ll be asking questions and you can talk to them afterwards,” Dan said. 

“Thanks for everything, Dan.”

“It was nice meeting you, Dan,” Blair said as he held out his hand to shake hands once again. 

“Nice meeting you too, Sandburg. Good luck helping Jim solve this,” Dan walked away and both men sighed at the thought of no leads. 

Jim turned to Blair and said, “Now we need to look through their things and try and find some clues to the end of this mess.”

Blair followed Jim into the office and watched and Jim looked for a wall safe and smiled when he found one. Jim said, “Shit, now I have to get a lock smith in here to open this.”

“I would suggest once it’s been dusted for prints to use your senses and open it yourself. You’ll be able to hear the clicks in the lock. I swear to you, give it a chance,” Blair said. 

Jim went to the other room, called Miller into the office and said, “Could you dust for prints before I try and open this?”

“Sure. Are you a safe cracker now?” Miller teased. 

“I have a feeling maybe the killer left it ready to open, so we’ll see. I’ve got my gloves on for after you dust for prints, so I won’t be leaving behind anything,” Jim said. 

Miller got busy and dusted for prints and then left the room, laughing at Ellison thinking he could open the safe. 

As soon as they were alone, Blair said, “Now put your ear to the metal, well as close as you can anyhow and turn the dial until you hear it click. Then bring it back and go to the next number. Give it a try.”

Jim gave it a try and found he could hear the click very easily and then figured out what to do with the clicks and before long had the safe open. 

“I told you, you could do it, man,” Blair said proudly. 

“I can’t believe it. Thanks for the help, Chief.”

“What’s with calling me Chief?”

“Leader of all things,” Jim teased. 

“Cool.”

Jim pulled everything out and began to look at the items inside. “It looks like they were having a baby with a surrogate mother. Her name is Melanie Marshall. The insurance all goes to the baby if something happens to them and no one else in the family gets anything. The surrogate’s address is right here. We’ll check that out. It might mean something. We’re talking about a couple of million dollars. People would kill for less.”

Jim wrote down the name and address and got all of the contents and put them in an evidence bag and tagged it for the station. While Jim was doing that, Blair had his gloves on and was going through the man’s cell phone, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Then he started to look through the man’s calendar on his desk. 

Jim looked over his shoulder and said, “Find anything interesting?”

“He had lunch with bro on Tuesday and lunch with Melanie on Wednesday. So he saw two people in the day’s right before he died. How do we find out who his brother is?” Blair asked. 

“Actually, if Rafe and Brown have already notified the next of kin, they must know already. Let me call them,” Jim said as he pulled his cell phone out and hit the number for Rafe. 

“Rafe.”

“Rafe, how did you know the next of kin to notify?” Jim asked. 

“The info was on a sheet of paper sitting on the vic’s desk. So we’re at the brother’s house right now. He’s pretty shook up about it,” Rafe answered. 

“Tell me what the address is and tell him that we’ll be over to talk to him in a few minutes. I found out some things that might be pertinent to the case.”

Rafe rattled off the address and Jim wrote it down. They got everything bagged and ready to go downtown and walked out the front door. Blair carried the important documents so they wouldn’t get lost. 

“Chief, we usually just leave everything in one place and someone picks everything up and takes it to the station.”

“Do you want to leave this important shit lying around to get lost or worse? What if that woman showed up and she has something to do with it?” Blair asked. 

“Okay, let’s take the evidence to the station and then we’ll go question the suspect. But remember, Blair, they don’t let just anyone into a crime scene,” Jim rationalized. 

“You think the brother is a suspect?” Blair inquired. 

“I think everyone is a suspect until they prove to me otherwise,” Jim replied. 

~~~~~

Jim and Blair arrived at the brother’s house and Rafe and Brown were already leaving.

Rafe smiled at Jim when he saw him and said, “There’s nothing here. He’s really upset, I don’t think he had anything to do with it.”

“Did you ask for an alibi?” Jim asked. 

“He said he was with someone named Melanie Marshall and he was there all night long.”

“Melanie Marshall is the surrogate mother for the dead couple. Her baby is the only one listed in the will,” Jim explained. 

“Whoa, that might make a difference. Maybe we’ll go back in and see what happens when you question him,” Brown said. 

Rafe glared at Brown and said, “We already questioned him, there is nothing left to ask.”

“Rafe, the man was dating the surrogate mother, there might be some things to ask,” Blair pointed out. 

“We’ve got paperwork to file, so I’ll read your report when you type it up,” Rafe said walking towards the car. 

Brown shrugged his shoulders and caught up with his partner. 

“Don’t you think they should have stayed?” Blair wondered. 

“Yes, but Rafe is being immature as usual. He doesn’t like when anyone comes into a case and finds something he didn’t. He’ll come around,” Jim said. 

Jim knocked on the door and a red eyed man answered, “Yes?”

“I’m Detective Jim Ellison and this is my partner, Blair Sandburg. We’re here to ask a few questions about the murder of your brother and his wife.”

“Come in, both of you. Would you like anything to drink? Oh, by the way, I’m Matt Carter if you didn’t already know.” 

Jim and Blair both sat down on the sofa and waited for Matt to sit also. He continued to stand and he paced. Jim knew he was nervous. He could smell it on him. His heart rate was elevated and he was sweating. All things that indicate a person is lying or about to lie. 

“Do I understand that you’re dating the surrogate mother?” Jim asked out right. 

“Yes, we met not long ago and found we had some things in common. She’s really a nice person and was going to give my brother and his wife a wonderful child.”

“Could you please sit down, Mr. Carter?” Jim asked nicely. 

Carter sat down and began to wring his hands. 

“We’re going to have to talk to Melanie about your alibi. Did you know that the baby is the only one listed in the will? If something happened to them, it would be put in a trust?” Jim asked. 

“A trust?” Matt was shocked to his very core and both Jim and Blair saw it. 

“Yes, a trust. It’s set up for the baby, so he’ll be taken care of for the rest of his life. But nothing goes to Melanie or you. It’s all in trust for the baby,” Jim said. 

“I can’t believe my brother would just leave us out of it. That makes no sense what-so-ever. He’s not that type of person at all,” Carter said. 

“The will was drawn up two days ago, he might have changed it without telling you,” Jim mentioned. 

“Two days ago?” Carter said shocked.

“We’re going to need to take you down to the station for questioning,” Jim said. 

“In my brother’s murder? Why would you need to question me?” Carter said getting flustered. 

“Because I think you might have had something to do with it. And we need to find out. You need to come with us,” Jim ordered this time. 

“I’ll follow you down with my lawyer,” Carter said. 

“You don’t understand, Mr. Carter. You’re going to be questioned at the police station and we’re taking you now,” Jim explained. 

“I’m calling my lawyer. You can’t make me go down to the police station. I have rights,” Carter shouted grabbing his cell phone to call someone. 

Jim pulled his cell phone out and called for a patrol car to come and pick Matt Carter up. Once that was done, he just stood and stared at Carter letting him know he wasn’t going to get away with it. 

Carter talked in a hushed tone on the phone, but Jim heard every word he said. 

“My lawyer said to meet him at the station and I would be just fine,” Carter said. 

Jim said, “The car will be here to pick you up in a few minutes.”

“What do you mean a car? Why aren’t I going with you?” Carter asked. 

“You said you weren’t coming with us, so I called for pick up. You left me no choice, sir,” Jim explained. 

Blair finally said, “Do you have any other relatives that we could contact for you?”

“There is my sister, who lives in California, but she never really cared about anyone. She broke free of the family years ago.”

“We’ll need her name and number,” Jim said pulling his note book out. 

Her name is Pam Carter and her number is 916-555-1212. She won’t be any help at all, she could care less about us. 

There was a knock at the door and it was an officer from the station house. Jim handed over Matt Carter to them and then walked out of the house with Blair. 

Jim sat in his car and called the sister and told her the news. She sobbed and sobbed and said she would be there as soon as possible. 

“Chief, she sounded really upset, why didn’t Matt Carter call her and tell her?”

“Good question. Now we need to find Melanie Marshall, right?” Blair asked. 

“That’s where we’re going now,” Jim said driving off. 

~~~~~

Downtown, Matt Carter was having a fit about being held against his will. Jim had called Simon and told him to keep him there until he got back. So Simon was doing what any Captain would do. Stalling. 

~~~~~

When Jim drove up to Melanie’s house, she was putting a suitcase in the trunk of her car. Jim got out and said, “Melanie Marshall?”

“Yes?”

Jim could feel the terror in her actions and movements. “I’m Detective Jim Ellison and this is my partner, Blair Sandburg. We’re here to take you downtown for questioning in the death of Chris and Amanda Carter.”

She started to cry and said, “It was all his idea. I didn’t have anything to do with it. I’m just an innocent bystander in all this.”

Blair said, “I would guess not so innocent or you would have told the Carter’s about it. 

Jim put cuffs on her, and began to read her, her rights. Blair called for backup to take her to the station. 

Jim called Simon and said he got a confession of sorts from the surrogate and she said it was Matt Carter who did it. 

The patrol car drove up and took Melanie Marshall downtown. 

Jim got into the truck and said, “They aren’t always this easy. In fact, nine times out of ten, it takes weeks or months to find the killer. This was just a fluke. We’re going to be out of here in no time.”

“It’s too bad they had to kill two people thinking they were getting some money. I can’t believe what people do for money,” Blair said sadly. 

Jim drove back to the station where they charged Matt Carter and Melanie Marshall with two counts of murder. She would have to have the baby and that baby would probably go to Chris’s sister in California. 

Jim and Blair did the paperwork in record time. Rafe walked up and said, “How in the hell did you wrap this up so fast?”

“Believe me, it was a fluke. She confessed before I ever said anything. You know they don’t usually go this quickly or as cleanly as this one did,” Jim stated. 

“Good work,” Rafe said and walked away quickly, so it wouldn’t hurt so much. 

“Thanks for all of your help, Rafe,” Blair called out. 

“You’re welcome,” Rafe answered smiling. 

“Good thinking, Chief. You’re going to keep me on my toes aren’t you?” Jim asked. 

“Don’t you know it?” Blair replied. 

Jim found Simon and said, “Do you think I can have tomorrow off to sleep in? I got all of the paperwork done already.”

“Take off for two days, if I need anything, I’ll call you. I can handle the sister coming in. Have a couple of days off. And Sandburg, you did a fine job with the paperwork and backing Jim up. Everyone said you were quite professional. Good work,” Simon said as he went back into his office. 

“That’s as close to a compliment as you’ll ever get from Simon. He must like you a lot,” Jim teased. 

“It’s two in the morning; do you think we can get some sleep tonight?” Blair asked. 

“Yup, that’s where we’re heading right now, Blair. Come on,” Jim said as he walked to the elevator. 

Everyone patted them on the back and told them what a good job they had done on the way down. Jim was quite pleased with the attention. It had been a very good night. 

~~~~~

When the two men walked into the loft, they were exhausted. Jim said, “I need a shower before I can sleep.”

“Can I take one with you?” Blair asked. 

“That would be great,” Jim replied. 

They both got naked and got into the shower. There was more fooling around then cleaning. Before long both men were coming in each others hands and moaning into each others mouths. They finished cleaning up and got their robes on. 

Once they were in bed, they curled up into each other’s arms and fell asleep almost instantly. 

Blair woke up at 7:00 and called in a replacement for his teaching assignment. He was just too damn tired to do anything but sleep. 

At 10:00, Blair woke up to Jim just staring at him. 

“What? Was I snoring or something?” Blair asked. 

“No, I just like to watch you sleep,” Jim said. 

Blair kissed Jim and before long Jim was fucking Blair senseless. Both men needed the release and it seemed to have worked. 

They lay quietly in one another’s arms and talked of what they planned to do that day. 

~~~~~

One month later:

Jim was getting ready to go to the station and Blair was almost ready to head out to the University when Jim grabbed him and said, “Have I mentioned lately how much I love you?”

Blair felt tears welling up in his eyes. He couldn’t believe that Jim just told him he loved him. “I love you, too.”

“Good, I feel better having said that. I was afraid to tell you before now.”

“I’m glad you told me, Jim. It means a lot to me. I’ll see you this afternoon at the station. I’ll help you get all of that paperwork done in no time.”

Blair walked out the door, but not before Jim grabbed him and gave him a kiss to remember him by. Blair smiled all the way down the stairs. So did Jim. 

The end


End file.
